How to Get the Greatest Common Factor of Numbers

The numbers that can divide an integer is called its factor or divisor. For example, the factors of
4 are 1, 2, and 4 because these are the numbers that divide 4 without having a remainder.
Another example is 6 which has factors 1, 2, 3, and 6. It is clear that each number has always 1
and itself as factors. Note that in this discussion, when I say number, I mean positive integer.

If we select more than one number, we can observe that they have common factors (just like
having common multiples). Let’s have the following examples.

How to Get the Greatest Common Factor of Numbers

Example 1: What are the common factors of 12 and 18?

Factors of 12: 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 12

Factors of 18: 1, 2, 3, 6, 9, 18

If we examine the factors of 12 and 18, we see that there are 4 common factors: 1, 2, 3 and 6.
Among the factors, 6 is the largest. Therefore, we say that 6 is the greatest common
factor (GCF) or greatest common divisor (GCD) of 12 and 18. Example 2 : Find the GCF
of 20, 32, 28.

Factors of 20: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 10, 20

Factors of 32: 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32

Factors of 28: 1, 2, 4, 7, 14, 28

As we can see, the common factors of 20, 32, and 28 are 1, 2, and 4. The GCD or GCF of the
three numbers is 4.

Another way to get the greatest common factor of numbers is to write their prime factorization.
Prime factorization is the process of expressing a number as product of prime numbers. A prime
number is a number which is only divisible by 1 and itself (read Introduction to Prime
Numbers if you don’t know what is a prime number). The first 10 prime numbers are 2, 3, 5, 7,
11, 13, 17, 19, 23, and 29.
We will use the examples above and use prime factorization in order to get their greatest
common factor.

Example 3: Find the GCF of 12 and 18 using prime factorization.

Prime factorization of 12: 2 × 2 × 3
Prime Factorization of 18: 2 × 3 × 3
Now to get the greatest common factor, we multiply the common factors to both numbers. The
common factors to both are 2 and 3, therefore, the greatest common factor of 12 and 18 is 2 × 3
= 6.

Example 4: Find the GCF of 20, 32, and 28 using prime factorization.
Prime factorization of 20: 2 × 2 × 5
Prime factorization of 32: 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 2
Prime factorization of 28: 2 × 2 × 7
In this example, 2 and 2 are common to all the three numbers, so the GCD or GCD of these three
numbers is 2 × 2 which is equal to 4.
The difference between the two methods is that in the first method, you list all the factors and
find the largest number. In the second method, you list the prime factorization and the multiply
the factors that are common to all numbers.

What’s the use of greatest common factor?

Well, GCF are used a lot in mathematics, but in the Civil Service Exam, you will use it when
you reduce fractions to lowest terms. For example, your final answer is

and is not on the choices. Then, you know that you have to get the greatest common factor of
12 and 18 and divide both the numerator and denominator by it. So, the answer is

How to Get the Least Common Multiple of Numbers

In mathematics, a multiple is a product of any number and an integer. The numbers 16, -48 and
72 are multiples of 8 because 8 x 2 = 16, 8 x -3 = -48 and 8 x 9 = 72. Similarly, the first five
positive multiples of 7 are the following:

7, 14, 21, 28, 35.

In this post, we will particularly talk about positive integers and positive multiples. This is in
preparation for the discussions on addition and subtraction of fractions.

We can always find a common multiple given two or more numbers. For example, if we list all
the positive multiples of 2 and 3, we have

2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20

and

3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21, 24, 27, 30.

As we can see, in the list, 6, 12 and 18 are common multiples of 2 and 3. If we continue further,
there are still other multiples, and in fact, we will never run out of multiples.

Can you predict the next five multiples of 2 and 3 without listing?

The most important among the multiples is the least common multiple. The least common
multiple is the smallest among all the multiples. Clearly, the least common multiple of 2 and 3 is
6. Here are some examples.

Example 1: Find the least common multiple of 3 and 5

Multiples of 3: 3, 6, 9. 12, 15, 18

Multiples of 5: 5, 10, 15, 20, 25,30

As we can see, 15 appeared as the first common multiple, so 15 is the least common multiple of 3
and 5.

Example 2: Find the least common multiple of 3, 4, and 6.

In this example, we find the least multiple that are common to the three numbers.

Multiples of 3: 3, 6, 9, 12, 15

Multiples of 4: 4, 8, 12, 16, 20

Multiples of 6: 6, 12, 18, 24, 30

So, the least common multiple of 3, 4, and 6 is 12.

Example 3: Find the least common multiple of 3, 8 and 12.

Multiples of 3: 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21, 24

Multiples of 8: 8, 16, 24,

Mulitples of 12: 12, 24, 36, 48, 60

So, the least common multiple of 3, 4 and 6 is 24.

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Integers

How to Add Positive and Negative Integers

One of the topics in basic mathematics that will likely be included in the the Philippine Civil
Service Exam both professional and subprofessional are operations on integers. Although a few
Civil Service test items may be given from this topic, it is important that you master it because a
lot of calculation in other topics will need knowledge of integers and its operations (addition,
subtraction, multiplication, division). For example, solving some word
problems in mathematics and solving equations will need knowledge on operations of integers.
Integers are whole numbers that are either positive or negative. Examples of integers are -5, 6,
0, and 10. If we place this on the number line, negative integers are the integers that are below 0
(left of 0), while the positive integers are the integers above 0 (right of 0).

Adding Integers that Are Both Positive

When you add integers that are both positive, it is just like adding whole numbers. Below are
the examples.

Example 1: +2 + +4 = +6
Example 2: +9 + +41 + +6 + = +56
Example 3: +120 + +13 + +12 + = +145
Although we have created a small + before the number to indicate that it is positive, in reality,
only negative numbers have signs. This means that +2 + +4 = +6 is just written as 2 + 4 = 6.
Adding Integers that Are Both Negative

Adding number that are both negative is just the same as adding numbers that are both positive.
The only difference is that if you add two negative numbers, the result is negative.

Example 1: –5 + –8 = –13
Example 2: –10 + –18 + –32 + = –60
Example 3: –220 + –11 + –16 + = –247
How to Add Positive and Negative Integers

Before adding, you should always remember that +1 and –1 cancel out each other, or +1 + –1 is 0.
So the strategy is to pair the positive and negative numbers and take out what’s left.
Example 1: What is +13 + –8?
Solution:

We pair 8 positives and 8 negatives to cancel out. Then what’s left is of +13 is +5. In equation
form, we have
+
13 + –8 = +5 + +8 + –8 = +5 + (+8 + –8) = +5 + (0) = +5
Example 2: What is +17 + –20?
Solution:

We pair 17 negatives and 17 positives. What’s left of –20 is –3. In equation form, we have
+
17 + –20 = +17 + (–17 + –3) = (+17 + –17) + –3 = 0 + –3 = –3
Example 3: What is 16 + +37 + –20 + –3 +–9 ?
+

In answering questions with multiple addends, combine all the positives and the negatives then
add.

That is +16 + +37 = +53 and –20 + –3 +–9 = –32.

So, the final equation is +53 + –32. We pair 32 positives and 32 negatives leaving 21 positives.
In equation form, we have

53 + –32 = +21 + +32 + –32 = +21 + (+32 + –32) = +21 + 0 = +21

+

By now, you will have realized, that adding integers is pretty easy. If you have questions, please
fill out the comment box below.

How to Subtract Positive and Negative Integers

This is the continuation of the series of Civil Service review in mathematics particularly on
operations of integers. In this post, we are going to discuss the most complicated operation
on integers. I have taught people of all ages about this topic and it seems that for many, this is
the most difficult among the four operations. In this post, we are going to learn how to subtract
positive and negative integers or signed numbers. Note that in subtracting integers, there are
only four forms. If a and b are positive, the subtraction are of the following forms.
Case 1: positive minus positive (a – b)
Case 2: negative minus positive (–a – b)
Case 3: positive minus negative (a – –b)
Case 4: negative minus negative ( a – b)
– –

How to Subtract Positive and Negative Integers

What most people don’t know that a – b is the same as a + –b, or subtracting a number is the
same as adding its negative. That means that you only have to memorize the steps in addition of
integers. Given a subtraction sentence, you then transform it into addition. Here are a
few examples.
Case 1 Exampe 1: 5 – 8

Subtracting is the same as adding its negative, so 5 – 8 = 5 + –8. Note that 5 + –8 is already
addition and 5 + –8 = –3.

Case 2 Example: –10 – 4

The expression –10 – 4 is the same as –10 + –4 = –14.

Remember also that if you see two consecutive – signs or a minus and a negative sign, you can
transform it to +. That is, -(–a) = + a and -(–a) + a. In most exam, the negative signs are not
usually superscript, so you will likely -(-a).

Case 3 Example: 5 – –6

The above expression might be written in 5- -6 or 5-(-6). In any case, two negative signs, a
minus and a negative sign can be transformed into a plus sign so, 5 – (–6) = 5 + 6 = 11. Notice
that the last equation is also an addition sentence.

Case 4 Example: –8 – –6

The expression –8 – –6 = –8 + 6 = –2.

Observe that the four forms are already completed in the examles. From the strategy above, we
only remember two strategies: (1) transform any subtraction sentence to addition sentence and
(2) replace two consecutive negatives or a minus and a negative with + sign.